American Whiskey - Bourbon

Maker's Mark #46 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Rating Information

Rating Description

Tier 1This is a Tier 1 score in the Whiskey category. It means the spirit has won the highest recommendation at least once and probably many times.

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Proof66 Notes

Maker's Mark bourbon is made from a lake on the distillery grounds fed by limestone springs and said to be free of iron (which can turn whiskey green in the barrel). Their grain is purchased from small-farm cooperatives; they also are proud of using their own yeast. The whiskey is fermented in cypress wood tanks as opposed to stainless steel, again to reduce the taste of impurities in the final product.

Maker's #46 bourbon is a newer expression--first released in the summer of 2010--that experiences an additional aging with some "toasted oak staves."

Maker's claims to have tried over 125 different experiments to create the 46. It is the first "new thing" coming from the distillery and made in response to consumers trying and liking rye whiskey. The goal was to create a "woodier nose" and a much longer finish. The French oak used for the staves in the aging are themselves seasoned and aged for 18 months before use.(From the write-up in The Tasting Panel magazine, July, 2010)

Maker's Mark #46 was declared one of The Best Spirits of 2010 by Anthony Dias Blue of the Tasting Panel Magazine with a 94pt rating. He said the whiskey was "mellow, sensual and seamless with a long rich finish."

jmf02f (11)(2015-01-02)I will preface by saying i am not a fan of regular makers. I always thought the alcohol burn was too much and the flavor too little. However this offering from Makers is wonderful. It has a good structure sweet front palate that moves into a nice cinnamon spice. It has a wonderful viscous mouth feel. The finish does have some astringency however it is not more than many other premium bourbons. The alcohol burn also has largely been removed. I feel for what i paid for it $29 in Fl it is a good bourbon. If i had to pay more i would probably be less inclined to rate it 4 stars because it becomes less of a value.

Muncher (184)(2014-08-25)Well worth the increase of 7 or 8 bucks in price over the standard Maker's. I'm an oak and spice fan so the 46 is how I think a wheater should be. Makes it a lot more interesting than their standard, somewhat boring, bourbon. And if they bottled it at barrel proof it would probably be a 5 star bottle with a lot more reviewers, me included.

scollings (83)(2014-06-12)I like this Bourbon a lot, but I don't know that I like it so much more than regular old Makers to be worth the extra bucks, and frankly the heat up front is a bit much. After that however it is full bodied and very flavorful, though again, I don't know that it is worth the price difference.

Memphis (14)(2014-04-20)Makers wanted to do something new so they came up with a gimmick that let them still say it is bourbon. The result tastes burned, like drinking from a barbq. They should have let it sit in the original barrel a couple more years. Edit: I thought I should be more specific. THis is out of a 5 point scale like the website uses. The scores below are from a 3 person tasting last night:
Color: 3
Nose: 2.7
Initial Impact: 2.3
Heat: 2.3
Sweetness: 2.7
Viscosity: 2.7
Primary Flavor: 2.7
Secondary Flavor: 2.3
Residual Impact: 2.7
Stands up to Ice: 2
Want Another: 1.3
Total: 2.5

NeatPour (172)(2013-08-06)I think people who love MM just jump on this naturally with enthusiasm to try a 'premium' spirit. I understand why... we all do with our favorites. But please, try Blanton's, try WR, or for some lovely rye spiciness try Bulleit 95% rye (i know it's different but wayyy better than this imo) or heck (i know scotch sounds snobby & pretentious) but try some scotch. For 10 or 15 more bucks you can get some really solid scotch sippers (both single & blended!) Pleeeeaaaassseeee! MM 46 is okay but if you think this is good wait til you explore around a bit... a rich wonderful world awaits!

StanMemTn (87)(2012-09-09)Maker's Mark is my favorite bourbon in it's price range. I feel it to be a premium spirit though at the value end of the spectrum. Maker's 46 gains just enough extra char and flavor from those planks flamed for 46 seconds (this was the explanation given me on the distillery tour over at Heaven Hill) that it is certainly worth seeking out especially if you are a Maker's fan. However, for my money I'd probably just take the standard bottling, the one they once claimed was so good that no fancier bottling would ever be necessary.

ReligionSucketh (17)(2011-12-17)It's a bit smoother than original Maker's, but not by much. Still very spicy and it still has the same aftertaste as original Maker's. If I was at a bar and this was the best choice they had, it's definitely drinkable, but I won't be buying a whole bottle again. For the same price I can get Basil Hayden's or Van Winkle 10 and get a lot more flavor and enjoyment out of both.

lakergold (1)(2011-08-27)Comparatively speaking, this is muuuuch smoother than the standard MM. A side by side taste test reveals the painful sting that the standard MM has, while the 46 has much much less. If you like the flavor of the standard MM, then youll love this. Its so smooth, that Im afraid Ill put too much in my drinks, since it no longer has that painful sting too warn you that youve put in too much. This is good problem to have.

TheLibrarian (54)(2011-04-12)Hot & spicy! Makers 46 is great, but hits hard. I wasn macho enough & had to tone it down w/ a little ice. Made a great Old Fashioned. This will likely become the standard bourbon in my bar.

Phizbin (190)(2010-08-21)I found a bottle of the new Maker's to try. The original is smooth and nice, if a bit boring for me. I was happy to see that they were going to give it a rye kick. But this bourbon has a deep finish that I associate with asphalt and Woodford Reserve. The spiciness is nice on the front-end and it has a nice, long finish... but it's got that peculiar aftertaste that some bourbons have that I particularly don't like.

I think this version of Maker's would stand up in Manhattans and other cocktails nicely where the original label would get swallowed up. I'd give it a shot as a mixer. (Might be a bit pricey for a mixer, though.)

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085246500101

025246500701

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